


Lost Chances

by april_moon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, idk this made me sad so i wrote it haha, why do I do these things to myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 15:07:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18390857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/april_moon/pseuds/april_moon
Summary: Superheroes, soulmates... yeah, yeah, all that's great. But it's not real life, right?AU, I guess.





	Lost Chances

**Author's Note:**

> i was listening to "Est-ce que tu m'aimes" by Maître Gims on repeat while i wrote this, by the way... it's a really good song, not to mention the lyrics felt applicable to LB & CN (and it's in French! lol)
> 
> thanks so much for reading & please leave kudos/comments if you'd like!! <3

It was a pale grey day, the scent of the earth after rain hovering in the still air, a light drizzle still falling. Marinette Dupain-Cheng stared up at the tall, imposing building in front of her before pulling the navy blue scarf she wore tighter around her neck. She sighed and walked in, wishing she had had time to grab coffee before coming into work. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled her most recent designs from the file cabinet next to her and got to work.

It had been two years since she had graduated with honors from ESMOD, one of the most prestigious fashion schools in France. She had been lucky enough to be noticed by the great Gabriel Agreste, and began working in the designing department of his company right after graduating. It was what she had dreamed of doing since the first time she picked up her pencil to draw clothing for her dolls, but somehow it had become boring and mundane, just like everything else in her life. Somewhere along the way, Marinette had lost her passion for life.

_In another world, another universe, she was wholeheartedly in love with her job and her fiancé, and at night took to the skies in a spotted suit, laughing with the rush of freedom that came with standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower with someone she loved, staring contentedly at the glittering city below._

But this was not another world—it was real life. And so she went on, unaware that anything could have been different.

* * *

 

Adrien Agreste tugged on the tie around his throat with a sigh as he left the meeting, wishing he didn’t have to attend. He ought to be grateful, he supposed; his father had all but entirely given over control of his company, Agreste Designs, to him, and he was happy to have such a successful job, especially one that didn’t involve modeling—for him, at least. But somehow he still felt lacking, bored—as if he was missing out on something he never had, homesick for somewhere he had never belonged.

He walked down the hallway toward his next meeting, pretending to himself that he was happy. He had every right to be, after all.

_In another world, another universe, he was a physics teacher at the local high school, with not a lot of money but plenty of love and freedom to make up for it. At night, he ran free over the rooftops in a leather outfit, reveling in the presence of the one he loved and in the light of the moon smiling gently on them from above._

But this wasn’t another world—it was real life. And so he went on, unaware that anything could have been different.

* * *

 

It was the beginning of her lunch break, and Marinette was embarrassed when she ran right into someone when turning a corner, furthered by the fact that she had dropped the coffee she had finally gotten and all of the papers she was carrying. He knelt to help her with them, and looking up, she noticed that she had spilled some of her coffee on him when she had run into him, staining his expensive-looking white shirt. Wincing apologetically, she looked up further and was startled to see the famous face of Adrien Agreste, the CEO of Agreste Designs and only son of Gabriel Agreste—and thus, her boss—looking down at her with a similar apologetic expression on his face.

“I-I’m so sorry!” she said, stumbling over the simple phrase. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, and now—“

He smiled at her understandingly, if a little emptily. “No, no, it’s quite all right—I wasn’t paying attention, either. Could I buy you a coffee to make up for the one I made you spill?”

* * *

 

_Marinette blushed. “Well, I...” she said hesitatingly._

_“Really, it’s no trouble,” he said with a kind smile. “I’m not busy right now, and am I right in assuming it’s your lunch break?” When she looked up at him questioningly, he explained, “Most employees have their lunch break right about now, although some choose to take it earlier or later, but as you were approaching the common lunch room, that’s where I assumed you were going.”_

_“All right, then,” Marinette agreed shyly. She was supposed to be meeting with her friend Alya for lunch, but figured the other girl wouldn’t be too put out when she found out where she had been instead. “Thank you—you’re very kind.”_

_“Don’t mention it,” he said, looking rather pleased. "Where would you like to go? Have you been to that cute little café that just opened on Rue Saint Dominique? I’ve heard it’s quite good, and they have pastries and such as well.”_

_“Anywhere would be fine!” she squeaked. “Um, yes, that sounds lovely.” He grinned and led the way, stopping briefly in his office where he grabbed his coat and Marinette left her papers, feeling guilty, especially as half of them were now stained with coffee._

_"You got this, Marinette!" cheered Tikki, the small kwami that granted her magical powers, in her pocket when she was alone for a moment._

_Adrien turned out to be actually quite easy to talk to, and Marinette soon got over her awkwardness around him. By the time they finished their coffees, the two were laughing and joking almost like old friends, although Marinette still wasn’t totally comfortable—he was her boss, after all, and wildly attractive to boot. Well, he was a model, or had been in his younger years, so she supposed it was a given; however, it was still startling to look at him in person, with his bright green eyes, perfect skin, and blinding smile that lit up the room. She had noticed his smiles had begun to reach his eyes after they had been talking in the café for a little while. He looked a little sad, sometimes, she thought, especially when he didn’t realize she was looking at him. It was sort of fascinating, actually: she would have thought that he had more or less a perfect life, but everyone had something that they regretted or weren’t happy with, she supposed. Even Adrien Agreste._

_As predicted, Alya had squealed with excitement when she heard Marinette’s excuse for why she hadn’t been able to meet for lunch.“Adrien Agreste?!” she cried. “Was he as hot as they say?” She nudged Marinette with a smirk as the girl turned bright red._

_“I—well—I—“ she stuttered, and Alya smiled a little softer._

_“I won’t push you—actually, Marinette you seem happier than you have been in a long time.” And with that rather surprising statement, the reddish-haired girl walked across to the living room and started up an animated conversation about her Ladyblog.  
_

_Marinette was shocked when she saw Adrien again a few days later. He was leaning against the wall where they had collided a few days previously, looking as casual as could be and standing up straight when he saw her, his smile brightening his face._

_“Marinette! I thought I might find you here,” he said cheerfully. “If she doesn’t mind too much, would my princess be willing to save me from another dreadfully boring meeting by grabbing coffee again?”_

_Startled, the only thing she could think of to say was, “Well, if I’m rescuing you, doesn’t that make me more of a knight in shining armor than a princess?”_

_Over the next few weeks, they went out together relatively regularly, and Marinette started to think of them as dates. They exchanged phone numbers, as well, and anyone watching could have seen her smile, fondly and a little giddily, at her phone throughout the day. Adrien would send her funny cat gifs or sweet messages, and each one made her day a little bit brighter._

_When they accidentally revealed their identities as superheroes to each other during a fight with a particularly nasty akuma, they laughed and cried and hugged and laughed some more._

_Marinette couldn't believe how lucky she was. She had lovely friends, an amazing job that she enjoyed, and she was dating--_ dating! _\--a funny, thoughtful, sincere boy... who was hot to boot. Sometimes it seemed almost too good to be true._

_Adrien and Marinette got along "like a house on fire", as Alya was fond of saying. "It's kind of adorable, though. You two seem like you're perfect for each other." Adrien and Marinette looked at each other and laughed._

_(“Do you believe in soulmates, or the idea of destiny?” she asked softly one night, curled up against his chest in their bed. He hummed for a moment, thinking, and she could feel it vibrate through her chest. “I’m not sure,” he finally replied. “But if I did, I would know that we were meant to be.” She snuggled closer to him in response, and they lay there, together, in a quiet night lit by stars.)_

_They were engaged before two years had passed, and were deliriously happy together. Adrien cried as she walked down the aisle towards him in a lacy white dress and veil that she had sewn herself, and squeezed her hand tight when she joined him. When small Emma Agreste arrived ten months later, they could have been the two most elated people on Earth. Their life together was vibrant, and joyful, and loving, and magical.  
_

_And Marinette was happier than she had ever thought she could be._

* * *

 But, of course, this was real life, not some fantasy world where superheroes existed and Marinette Dupain-Cheng fell in love with the likes of Adrien Agreste. And so she only shook her head apologetically in response to his offer, explaining, “I’m sorry, I’m meeting my friend for lunch just now. I really am so very sorry that this happened—I can’t believe that I ruined your shirt!!”

He smiled again, mechanically, the light not reaching his eyes. “Oh, it’s not trouble at all. _I’m_ sorry for running into _you_ , miss. I hope your papers are all right.” She assured him that they were, and they both stood up again. He cleared his throat and glanced at his watch, realizing with an embarrassed smile that he did have a meeting he had to go to, after all. “Well, it was nice meeting you, miss!”

“Likewise,” she murmured.

And they went their separate ways, walking down the hall in opposite directions once again, never realizing that anything else could have been different at all.


End file.
